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America's top court has issued an urgent ruling that permits for now the federal government to withhold billions of dollars for nutrition assistance relied on by countless needy U.S. residents.

The White House appealed to the Supreme Court after a lower court ordered that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, called food aid, should be distributed completely to recipients by Friday.

The programme has been caught in uncertainty by the ongoing federal government shutdown, with the government arguing it could only pay for part of it.

The court's decision means $4bn can be temporarily withheld pending further legal hearings.

Programme Impact

This nutrition aid is used by tens of millions of U.S. citizens - around one in eight - and costs almost $9bn a month.

On Thursday, a Rhode Island judge, the presiding judge, alleged the government of withholding food aid "for political reasons" and said that without the aid "16 million children are in danger of facing hunger".

The judge mandated the government to pay out the assistance completely.

Legal Background

This decision came after that ordered the administration to dip into contingency funds to at least partially fund the programme for November.

This court battle was triggered after the USDA, which manages the Snap programme, announced benefits would be stopped in the fall due to the lack of funding over the budget crisis.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the Agriculture Department said it was working to comply with the multiple rulings and was taking steps to distribute the full funds.

High Court's Move

High Court Judge Justice Jackson issued the stay on Friday evening, called an temporary halt, pausing the lower court's ruling for 48 hours while federal attorneys seek to overturn it.

The row over food aid funding has become among the most contentious of what is now the longest government shutdown in US history.

Broader Impact

Federal employees have been unpaid for more than a month and air travel has been thrown into chaos as Congress members cannot reach a compromise to fund the government.

Several states have used their own budget savings to keep food benefits going, which are valued at around $6 to recipients via pre-loaded debit cards which can be used in food markets.

But some states have said they are unable to replace the money which has been lost from the federal government.